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Photographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

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^ 


CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  HIatoricai  Microreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  tschniquas  at  bibliographiq 


uas 


The  Institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best 
original  copy  available  for  filming.  Features  of  this 
copy  which  may  be  bibliographically  unique, 
which  may  alter  any  of  the  images  in  the 
reoroduction,  or  which  may  significantly  change 
the  usual  method  of  filming,  are  checked  below. 


D 


Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 


I      I    Covers  damaged/ 


Couverture  endommagia 


I      I    Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 


Couverture  restaurAe  et/ou  pellicul^e 

□    Cover  title  missing/ 
Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 

□    Col  ?ured  maps/ 
Cartes  giographiques  en  couleur 

□    Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 

□    Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 
Planches  et/ou  illustratinn*  an  oaiiIa. 


Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 

Bound  with  other  material/ 
Reli*  avMC  d'autres  documents 


D 


D 


n 


Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

La  re  liure  serrie  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
distorsion  !•  long  de  la  marge  intdrieure 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  se  peut  que  certaines  pages  blanches  ajouties 
lors  d'une  restauration  apparaissent  dans  le  texte, 
mais.  lorsque  cela  «tait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  ixi  filmies. 

Additional  comments:/ 
Commentaires  suppldmentaires; 


L'Instltut  a  microfilm^  le  meilleur  exemplaire 
qu'll  lui  a  iti  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details 
de  cat  exemplaire  qui  sont  peut-dtre  uniques  du 
pomt  de  vue  bibliographique.  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite.  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  m«thode  normale  de  fiimage 
sont  indiquAs  ci-dessous. 

□   Coloured  pages/ 
Pages  de  couleur 

□    Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommag^es 

□    Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Pages  restauries  et/ou  pelliculdes 

r~7    Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 
^ZJ    Pages  d«color«es,  ta<:h«t«es  ou  piqu^es 

0    Pages  detached/ 
Pages  d«tach«es 

FT]    Showthrough/ 
[^    Transparence 

□    Quality  of  print  varies/ 
Quality  inigale  de  I'impression 

□    Includes  supplementary  material/ 
Comorend  du  in»tiwi»i  «iinni^«>^« 


Comprend  du  materiel  supplimentaire 

Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Edition  disponible 


□    Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totalement  ou  partiellement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata,  une  pelure, 
etc..  ont  iti  filmAes  i  nouveau  de  fapon  d 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 
Ce  document  est  film«  au  taux  de  reduction  indiqud  ci-dessous. 
^^^  14X  18X  22X 


12X 


71 


26X 


16X 


20X 


30X 


24X 


28X 


n 

32X 


Th«  copy  film«d  h«r«  has  bo«n  raproducsd  thanks 
to  tha  ganarosity  of: 

L^iilature  du  Quebec 
Quebec 

Tha  imagas  appaaring  hara  ara  tha  best  quality 
possJbia  considaring  tha  condition  and  lagibiiity 
of  tha  original  copy  and  in  icaaping  with  tha 
filming  contract  apacificationa. 


Original  copiaa  In  printad  papar  covars  ara  filmad 
beginning  with  tha  front  covar  and  anding  on 
tha  laat  paga  with  a  printad  or  iliustratad  impraa- 
ron,  or  tha  bacic  covar  whan  appropriate.  All 
othar  original  copiaa  ara  filmad  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printad  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  anding  on  the  laat  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  Impression. 


The  laat  recorded  frame  on  eech  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  —n^Cmeening  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  (meening  "END"), 
whichever  appliea. 

Mapa.  platea.  charts,  etc.,  mey  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratioa.  Thoae  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  In  one  expoaurci  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  comer,  left  to 
right  and  top       bottom,  as  many  framea  aa 
required.  The  toilowing  diagrama  illustrate  the 
method: 


L'exemplaira  film*  fut  raproduit  grdca  A  la 
giniroaiti  da: 

L^islature  du  QuMmc 
QuUnz 

l^a  imegea  suivantae  ont  iti  reproduitas  avec  le 
plua  grand  soin,  compta  tenu  do  la  condition  at 
da  la  nettet*  de  I'exemplaira  film*,  at  en 
conformity  avec  lea  conditiona  du  contrat  de 
filmage. 

Lea  exempleirea  oriyinaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  eat  imprimie  sont  fiimte  en  commenqant 
per  le  premier  plat  at  en  tarminant  soit  par  la 
derniAre  pege  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'Impreesion  ou  d'iilustration,  soit  par  la  second 
plat,  selon  le  cas.  Tous  las  autres  axempiaires 
originsux  sont  filmte  en  commenpant  par  la 
premiere  pege  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
dimpresaion  ou  d'illuatration  at  an  tarminant  par 
la  darnlAre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  dee  symbolee  suivents  appsraitra  sur  la 
damlAre  imege  de  cheque  microfiche,  seion  le 
caa:  le  symbols  — <»•  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  le 
symbols  T  signifie  "FIN". 

Lee  cartes,  planches,  tabieeux,  etc.,  peuvent  dtre 
filmie  d  dee  tsux  de  reduction  diff*rents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  itrm 
reproduit  en  un  seul  clich*,  il  est  film*  *  partir 
de  I'angie  sup4rieur  gauche,  de  gauche  d  droite. 
et  de  haut  en  bea,  an  prenant  la  nombre 
d'images  n*cessaire.  Lea  diagrammes  suivants 
iiiuatrent  le  m*thode. 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

INFLUENCE 


/3 


OF   THE 


KA^II^RO^DB 


OF  THE 


UNITED  STATES 


IN  THE  CREATION 


OF   ITS 


COMMERCE  AND  WEALTH. 


►♦♦ 


NEW  YORK : 

JOURNEYMEN  PRINTERS'  CO-OPERATIVE  ASSOCIATION, 

166  WILLIAM  STREET,  NEAR  BEEKMAN. 

186a 


mmmmgmmmmm 


New  Youk,  Dec.  21,  1868. 


Henry  V.  Poor,  Esq. : 


Dear  Sir — 

In  the  present  financial  situation  of  the  country, 
the  matter  of  chiefest  importance  to  be  considered  is  the  amount,  the 
rapidity  of  growth,  and  the  probable  increase  for  the  future  of  its  in- 
ternal commerce,  with   the  methods  aud  instruments  of  its   creation. 
A  proper  exhibit  of  the  amount  and  value  of  this  commerce  wnll,  I 
believe,  assure  not  only  your  own  people,  but  the  world,  of  the  entire 
solvency  of  the  nation,  and  will  show  how  easy  it  will  be,  in  a  few 
years,  to  deal  with  its  present  financial  burdens,  especially  if  we  push 
the  construction  of  Railways  so  as  to  open  to  settlement  other  portions 
of  our  wide  domain,  where  the  results  already  achieved  can  be  repeated 
on  a  still  grander  scale.    From  your  ^tell-known  familiarity  with  this 
subject,  I  shall  feel  greatly  obliged  if  you  will  furnish  me  with  a  state- 
ment  of  the  progress  of  our  public  works ;  with  that  of  their  commerce, 
its  present  magnitude  and  value,  and  its  probable  future  development, 
and  of  the  expediency  of  opening  up,  by  the  aid  of  the  Federal  Govern- 
mont,  the  vast  regions  lying  to  the  west  and  north-west  of  Lake 
Superior,  and  which  are  designed  to  be  traversed  by  the  Northern 
Pacific  Railway. 

I  am,  very  respectfully, 

WM.  B.  OGDEN. 


I 


I 


tlon.  Wm.  B.  Ogden  i 


New  York,  Dec.  SO,  1868. 


Dear  Sir: 

The  intenial  commerce  of  the  United 
state,  unlike  that  of  any  other  county,  has  been  almost 
wholly  theereation  of  public  works.     The  market,  for  ib, 
produce,  whether  for  home  consumption  or  for  exportation 
are,  and  always  have  been,  within  a  narrow  strip  of  territory 
Bk.rt,ng  the  seaboard  from  Baltimore,  northward,  to  Portland 
The  early  settlements,  from  the  want  even  of  ordinarv  high- 
ways,  were  necessarily  made  upon  the  lines  of  navigabk  water- 
courses.     As  such  settlements  moved  inland,  the  lack  of 
suitable  avenues  for  the  transportation  of  their  products  to 
market  was  felt  to  be  a  serious  check  to  their  prosperity  and 
progresa     Agriculture  was  the  sole  pu.uit  of  the  pioneer. 
Among  such  a  population  there  could  be  no  room  for  the 
exchange  of  products,  as  all  were  engaged  in  similar  indus- 
tnes.     Such  articles,  consequently,  as  would  not  bear  trans- 
portat-on  to  the  sea-eoast  over  the  rough,  and  for  a  consider- 

"ttle    ther  value  than  to  minister,  directly,  to  the  comforts 
or  su.stam  the  life  of  the  p^ducer.     Olere  might  be  abuu^ 


6 

.lance,  V,«t  there  was  no  wealth.     There  was  little  stimulus  to 
industry,  because  it  could  ..ot  reap  any  adequate  reward. 

The  ex,,«lsion  of  the  French  lV,;t„  the  interior  basin  ol 
the  eontinetit,  enlarged  innnensely  the  ideas  of,  and  imposed 
corresponding  duties  upon,  the  colonists.     It  was  then  seen 
that  they  woul.l,  in  time,  overrun  the  continent.     The  mode 
of  connecting  settlements  to  be  made  within  the  great  valley 
with  those  of  the  East,  both  for  commercial  and  pol.tieal 
ends,  naturally  became  a  subject  of  deep  and  general  mter- 
est     It  engaged  the  attention  of  WASHINGTON  immediately 
upon  his  arrival  at  manhood.     He  first  conceived  the  idea 
of  uniting  the  waters  of  the  Chesapeake  with  those  oi  the 
Ohio,  by  rendering  navigable  the  Potomac  and  James  Rivers. 
Previous  to  the  breaking  out  of  the  War  of  Independence, 
he  crossed  the  mountains  and  made  an  elaborate  exammaUon 
of  the  countrv  separating  the  Ohio  fronr  the  head-waters  ot 
the  Potomac.    The  political  troubles  then  speedily  following 
interrupted  his  plans,  but  these  were  vigorously  resumed 
immediately  upon  the  close  of  the  war.     Through  his  eflbrts 
the  States  of  Maryland  and  Virginia  united  in  an  appropria- 
tion in  aid  of  his  proposed  work.     A  company  was  formed 
for  the  construction  of  a  waterdine,  by  way  of  the  Potomac, 
of  which  he  was  chosen  president.     With  similar  objects  in 
view  he  made  .  journey  to  the  State  of  New  York,  followed 
up  the  Mohawk  to  the  summit  which  divided  the  waters 
flowing  into  Lake  Ontario  from  those  flowing  into  the  Hud- 
son, and  saw,  with  prophetic  eye,  that  in  this  depression  of 
the  continent  would  be  the  great  future  highway  for  the 


commerce  of  tlie  interior.     The  „ew  duties  to  which  he  was 
Hoon  called  henceforth  absorbed  all  his  powers,  and  with  his 
withdrawal   from  active  cooperation  his  plans  were  for  a 
time  abandoned ;  but  the  idea  of  their  ultimate  realization 
never  lost  its  hold  upon  the  peoj)le  of  his  own  State. 

The  remarkable  facilities  offered  by  the  line  of  the  Mo- 
hawk, and  the  rivers  interlocking  with  tliis  and  flowing  into 
Lake  Ontario,  suggested,  at  an  early  day,  its  improvement  ; 
and  a  company  was  formed  in  tlie  last  century,  under  the 
name  of  the  W.steni  Inland  Navigation  Company,  by  which 
works  were  constructed  allowing  the  passage  across  the  sum- 
mit of  boats  of  fifteen  tons  burden.     But  these  works  were 
so  imperfectly  constructed  as  to  be  almost  wholly  unremu- 
nerative,  and,  after  fruitless  efforts  to  maintain  them,  they 
were  at  length  wholly  abandoned. 

After  the  failure  of  this  attempt,  little  was  done  for  the 
reopening  of  this  line  till  1810,  when  a  committee  of  the 
New  Yoi-k  Legislatui-e  was  raised  to  "  examine  the  route  of 
the  Western   Inland  Navigation   Company,   with   the   im- 
provements  thereon.'"     The  war  of  1812   soon  following, 
again  put  an  end  to  all  movements  in  this  direction  till  the 
return  of  peace.     The  war,  however,  had  one  good  effect-it 
demonstrated  the  imperative  necessity  of  such  a  work ;  and 
in  1816  a  Board  of  Commissioners  was  appointed  to  consider 
the  whole  subject.    This  Board  reported  at  length  and  favor- 
ably,  and  on  the  16th  of  April,   1817,  an  act  was  passed 
"  providing  for  the  construction  of  the  Erie  Canal."     The 
work  was  commenced  on  the  4tb  day  of  July  of  the  same 


8 

year,  and  on  the  4th  day  of  November,  1825- -eight  yearH 
thereafter— the  waters  of  the  great  Lake  were  mingled  with 
those  of  the  Ocean :  a  day  ever  to  be  held  memorable  in  the 
history  of  our  country. 

Previous  to  the  opening  of  the  Erie  Canal,  the  cost  of 
transporting  a  ton  of  merchandize  from  Buffalo  to  Albany, 
as  stated  in  the  report  of  the  Board  of  Commissioners  already 
referred  to,  was  $100.     The  time  required  was  twenty  days. 
Such  a  statement  affords  a  good  illustration  of  the  cost  of 
transportation,  at  tlie  time,  over  ordinary  highways.    Water- 
courses were  almost  the  only  routes  of  commerce   in  the 
interior.     The  produce  then  grown  in  the  western  portion 
of  the  State  of  New  York  was  floated,  in  arks,  down  the  Del- 
aware and  Susquehanna  Rivers  to  market     For  the  great 
interior  basin,  the  Mississippi  was  almost  the  sole  outlet ;  but 
the  navigation  of  this  river  was  so  expensive  and  hazardous, 
and  so  slow,  as  to  restrict  its  commerce  to  a  very  few  articles 
of  high  value  in  proportion  to  their  bulk.     It  served,  as  does 
the  Missouri,  at  the  present  day,  as  the  necessary  route  for  a 
limited  amount  of  travel,  for  the  transportation  of  Govern- 
ment  supplies,  and  a  few  articles  of  merchandize ;  but  it  was 
wholly  inadequate  to  the  commercial  and  social  wants  of  the 
vast  region  it  traversed. 

The  opening  of  the  Erie  Canal  instantly  reduced  the  cost 
of  transportation  from  Buffalo  to  Albany  from  $100  to  $10, 
and  ultimately  to  $3  per  ton.  The  effect  of  such  reduction 
was  electric.  It  was,  to  its  whole  extent,  a  profit  to  be 
divided  between  producer  and  consu7ner.     All  the  Western 


States,  for  the  purpose  of  availing  themselves  of  it,  imme- 
diatclj  undertook  the  construction  of  similar  works.     The 
>jtate  of  Ohio  constructed  two  lines  of  canal  from  Lake  Erie 
to  the  Ohio.     Indiana  undertook  a  still  more  elaborate  sys- 
tern,  and  constructed  a  line  of  canal  from  Lake  Erie  to  the 
lower  OI)io,  but  which  was,  in  great  part,  abandoned  almost 
as  soon  as  opened.     The  State  of  Illinois,  after  many  failures, 
linally  succeeded   in  constructing  a  canal  from  Lake  Mich- 
igan to  the  Illinois  River.     All  these  works,  for  a   time,    . 
served  a  highly  useful  purpose,  but  they  were  by  no  means 
adapted   to   the   demands   either  of   commerce   or  travel. 
They  were  practicable  on  only  a  very  limited  number  of 
mutes.     They  were  constantly  liable  to  interruption  during 
the  season  of  navigation,  and  were  wholly  closed,  by  ice, 
for  a  considerable  portion  of  the  year.     The  power  then 
and    still    employed   on   them   resided  in    muscles,  feeble 
and  impotent  compared  with  that  used  upon  the  Eailway— 
the  forces   of  nature,  infinite   in   extent,  yet  trained  and 
docile  to  the  will  of  man.     Their  further  construction,  con- 
sequently, was  abandoned  so  soon  as  the  success  of  this, 
the    greatest   of   all    human,    contrivances,    became    fully 
assured. 

Although  the  construction  of  Railroads  was  commenced  in 
this  country  immediately  after  the  celebrated  experiments 
on  the  Liverpool  and  Manchester  Railroad,  in  1830,  had 
proved  that  steam  power  could  be  successfully  applied  to 
locomotion,  it  proceeded  at  a  very  slow  rate  till  the  discov- 
ery of  gold  in  California     This  event  constituted  an  epoch 


10 

in  the  history  of  the  nation.     Its  stimulus  was  felt  in  every 
department  of  national  industry  and  enterprize. 

The  following  statement  will  show  the  progress  of  the 
Railroad  mileage  constructed  in  the  United  States,  for  each 
year  from  1835  to  1868,  inclusive  : 


Year. 


1835.. 
1836,. 
1837.. 
1838.. 

leao . 

1840.. 
1841.. 
1842.. 
1843.. 
1844. 
1845.. 
1846.. 
1847. 
1848.. 
1849. 
1850. 
1851. 


Miles  in     increase  of 
Operation.      MUeage. 


1,098 
1,273 
1,497 
1,913 
2,302 
2,818 
3,535 
4,026 
4,185 
4,377 
4,633 
4,939 
.5,599 
5,996 
7,365 
9,021 
10,982 


175 

224 
416 
389 


Year. 


.')15    i 

717    ! 

491    1 

159    i 

192 

256 

297 

669 

397 

1,369    1 

1,656 

1,961    1 

1  1 

1852.. 
1853.. 
18'i4.. 
1855.. 
1856.. 
1857.. 
1858.. 
1859.. 
I860.. 
1861.. 
1862,. 
1863.. 
1864.. 
1865.. 
1866, . 
1867.. 
il868.. 


Miles  in 
Operation. 


12,908 
1.5,360 
16,720 
18,374 
22,017 
24,508 
26,908 
28,789 
30,635 
31,256 
32,120 
33,170 
33,908 
35,185 
37,017 
39,244 
42,^77 


Annnal 

Increase  of 

Mileage. 


1,926 
2,4.52 
1,360 
1,654 
3,643 
2,491 
2,460 
1,821 
1,846 
621 
864 
1,050 
738 
1,277 
1,832 
2,227 
3,033 


The  least  number  of  miles  opened  in  any  one  year  was  159 
miles,  in   1843:    the  greatest  in   1856,  when  3,643  were 

opened. 

From  the  opening  of  the  first  Railroad,  in  1830,  to  the  ac- 
quisition of  California,  in  1848,  a  period  of  19  years,  5,996 
miles  of  line  were  constructed,  being  an  average  of  316  an- 
nually.    From  the  date  of  that  event  up  to  the  breaking 
out  of  the  Civil  war,  a  period  of  12  years,  24,639  miles  were 
constructed— being  an  annual  average  of  2,051  miles.    From 
the  last  date  to  the  present,  12,624  miles  have  been  opened 
in  a  period  of  eight  years,  or  1,440  miles,  annually.     During 
the  war  the  construction   of  these  works,  as   a  matter  of 
course,  fell  off  largely.     Since  the  restoration  of  peace  their 


1 

1 
t 

.s 
y 

V 

i^ 

A 


11 

construction  has  been  pushed  with  renewed  vigor— 3,037 
miles  having  been  opened  during  the  past  year.  There  are 
now  fully  15,000  miles  in  progress.  Their  construction,  in 
feet,  never  proceeded  more  rapidly  than  it  does  at  the  pres- 
ent moment. 

Railways,    unlike    canals,    are    everywhere    practicable. 
Nothing  retards  their  progress.     They  traverse  lofty  ranges 
of  mountains  with  the  same  ease,  almost,  that  they  do  wide 
extended  plains.     The  reduction   they  effected  in  the  cost 
of  transportation  gave  a  market  at  his  door,  to  the  producer, 
in  every  portion  of  our  vast  domain.     A  familiar  illustration 
will  give  the  best  possible  idea  of  the  value  of  this  new 
method  over  the  old.     The  cost,  for  example,  of  transporting 
Indian  corn  and  wheat  over  ordinary  highways  will  equal 
20  cents  per  ton  per  mile.     At  such  a  rate  the  former  will 
bear   transportation   only  125  miles  to   market,  wliere   its 
value  is  equal  to  75  cents  per  bushel.     The  latter  only  250 
miles,  when  its  value  is   $1.50   per   bushel.      With   such 
highways  only,  our  most  valuable  cereals  will  have  no  com- 
mercial value  outside  of  circles  having  radn  of  125  and  250 
miles  respectively.     Upon  a  Railroad  the  cost  of  transporta- 
tion equals  one  and  a  quarter  cents,  per  ton,  per  mile.    With 
such  a  work,  consequently,  the  circle  within  which  corn  and 
wheat,  at  the  prices  named,  will  have  a  marketable  value, 
will  be  drawn  upon  radii  of  1,600  and  8,200  miles  respect- 
ively.    The  area  of  a  circle  with  a  radius  of  125  miles  is 
46,875  square  miles;  that  of  a  circle  drawn  upon  a  radiiLs 
of  1,600  miles  is  nearly  200  times  greater,  or  7,680,000 


12 

square  miles.  Such  a  difference,  enormous  as  it  is,  only 
measures  the  value  of  the  new  agencies  employed  in  trans- 
portation, and  the  results  achieved,  compared  with  the  old. 

The  commerce  of  our  Eailroads  may  be  said  to  date  from 
ihe  same  great  event  that  gave  such  a  stimulus  to  their  con- 
struction.    The  earlier  roads  were  rude  and  unsubstantial 
structures  compared  with  the  permanent  and  finished  work 
of  the  present  day.     They  were  adapted  neither  to  high 
.peed  nor  to  a  heavy  tonnage  traffic.     The  lines  built  were 
chiefly  those  between  the  more  important  cities  in  the  Eastern 
States,  for  the  accommodation  of  their  passenger  trafBc.    The 
commerce  between  them  was  still  carried  on  almost  wholly 
by  water.    No  great  lines  expressly  designed  as  outlets  for 
the  interior  basin    of   the    continent  were    constructed  till 
1851,  when  the  Erie  Kailway  was  opened.     The  links  com- 
prising the  New  York  Central  had  been  opened  at  an  earlier 
day,  but  they  were  not  designed  for  freight,  and  were  re^ 
atricted  in  its  transportation  for  the  benefit  of  the  Erie  Canal 
These  restrictions  were  not  removed  till  the  opening  of  the 
Erie  Kailroad.     The  other  great  lines  connecting  the  West 
with  the  East  were  not  opened  till  a  still  later  date ;  the  Bal- 
timore and  Ohio  not  till  1853,  the  Pennsylvania  not  till  1854. 
Of  the  great  interior  lines,  the  Ilhnois  Central  was  not  com- 
pleted till  1856 ;  the  Pittsburg,  Fort  Wayne  and  Chicago  was 
not  fully  opened  in  1858;   the  Chicago  and  Eock  Island, 
which  was  the  first  line  to  unite  Lake  Michigan  with  the 
Mississippi,  was  opened  in  1854 ;  the  Michigan  Central  and 
Southern  Railroads,  connecting  Lake  Erie  with  Lake  Michi- 


13 

gan,  wer,       3ned  in  1852.     The  great  bulk  of  their  tonnage 
traffic,  as       i  be  hereafter  shown,  ha.  been  the  creation  of 
the  last  ten  yea,^     The  rapidity  of  its  growth  and  its  present 
extent  is  even  more  wonderful  than  that  of  their  mileage 
We  have  the  means  of  estimating  the  growth,  extent  and 
value  of  such  traffic,  with  the  accuracy,  almost,  that  we 
have  of  determining  their  mileage. 

In  several  States  the  amount  of  the  tonnage  traffic  of  their 
roads  is  required  by  law  to  be  returned  to  their  respective 
Legislatures.     In  the   State  of  New  York  the  returns  are 
required  to  classify  the  various  articles  carried,  in  the  same 
manner  as  the  tonnage  of  the  canak     The  value  of  all  the 
articles  earned  on  the  latter,  together  with  the  agg,-egaf* 
value  of  the  several  classes,  fa  given.    We  have  consequertly 
only  to  apply  the  estimate  of  the  value  of  the  canal  to  the 
Bailroad  tonnage  to  ascertain,  accurately,  the  value  of  the 
latter.     The  extent  and  value  of  the  canal  with  that  of  the 
Railroad  tonnage  of  this  State  will  be  shown  in  the  follow 
flng  statements : 


liiiiii 


14 


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2  r^  i'  ■'i  o  2  '?>  5  M  '^ 
cs.  N  M  '^o^-r  lo  ("v^^ ".  '•'5 

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o  ?q  o  cc  i__  o -- o  ■«*  i< 
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r^ra  (N  oi  CO  j>  50  ;o  00  i>. 


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00  00 
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'■"srioooooiioooco 


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lOiOCOCDCOCOCOCOCOcO 
OUQOQOQOQOQDQoSSS 
r-ipli-lr-lpHi-Hr^r-trli-l 


\ 


22 

The  tonnage  for  1867,  of  tlu;  Railroads  oC  Now  York 
cciualcd  3,r>()l  tons  to  the  mile  of  road,  'riio  tonnage  of 
the  Railroads  of  Massac husotts  equaled  5,804,  l.'JT  tons,  or 
3,853  tons  to  the  mile.  That  of  the  Kaih-oads  of  Pciuisylva- 
nia  equaled  35,887,370  tons,  or  7,H04  tons  to  the  mile. 
The  total  for  the  three  States  equaled  51,125,140  tons,  or 
5,826  tons  to  the  mile.  The  number  of  miles  of  Railroad 
within  the  States  which  retume<l  theiv  tonnage  trallic  cciualed 

8,775  miles. 

If  we  estimate  the  total  tonnage  lor  the  other  States,  hav- 
ing  a  mileage  of  80,469  miles,  to  Ci[ivA  that  of  the  States 
named,  the  aggregate  for  all  would  exceed  100.000,000  tons, 
or  2,500  tons  to  the  mile.     There  can  he  no  doubt  that  the 
actual  amount  exceeded  the  above  aggregate.     A  large  de- 
duction should  be  made,  however,  ibr  duplications- -proba- 
bly 25,000,000  of  tons.     Estimating  the  total  traffic  at  100,- 
000,000  tons,  the    net    tonnage    ecpialcd   75,000,000   tons. 
Such  an  aggregate  would  give  an  average  tonnage  of  about 
2,000  tons   for  each  mile  of  road.     As  the  tonnage  of  the 
Railroads  of  the  three  States  named,  deducting  duplications, 
equaled  38,348,855  tons,   it  would,  on  the  part  of  the  other 
Railroads,  require  ti  tonnage  of  only  about  1,200  tons  to  the 
mile  to  give  the  total  estimated  aggro^:rin«.     The  vscvago  for 
most  of  the  States  largely  exceeded  this  rate. 

The  following  statement  of  the  tonnage  of  18  lines,  taken 
us  representatives  of  all  the  others,  will  show  that  the 
]. regress  of  the  tonnage  for  the  past  ten  years  has  been  fully 
up  to  the  ratio  of  the  Railroads  of  the  State  of  New  York : 


H 


28 


I 
1 


•X) 


,.g 


■*i 


I 


•6 

1* 


dilmjfo,      Biirltnicton 
iiiiil  yiiliicy 


Ctiloaso,   Rock  Ulnnd 
iiiiil  Paciac 


ChlosKo  and  Alton. . . . . 


nilnolitCoiitral. 


Michigan  Southern... 


HlohlBan  Ce  uiraL . . . 


PlnttsbuFK,  Kt.  Wa.rno 
I       und  Chicago '. ... 


R  s  is  g  g  e  s 

^  §  I:  i  n  §  s 

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Philadclpliiii,  WilminK- 
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24 


The  length  of  the  roads  embraced  in  the  above  statement 
is  6,458  miles.  Their  tonnage  for  1867  equaled  25,880,679 
Ions.     The  average  per  mile  equaled  4,026  tons  per  mile. 

The  number  of  tons  carried  in  1858,  by  the  roads  in  the 
preceding  statement  reported  for  that  year,  equaled  7,063,780 
tons ;  the  tonnage  carried  by  the  same  roads  in  1867  equaled 
21,784,153  tons  :  the  rate  of  increase  ccnsequently  exceeded 
200  per  cent,  in  the  ten  years.  In  the  same  period  tiie  num- 
ber of  miles  of  imiu  line  opened  equaled  12,276  miles — the 
mileage  in  1858  being  26,968,  against  89,244  in  1867.  If 
the  tonnage  in  1867  of  the  new  roads  be  added  to  that  of  the 
lines  in  operation  in  1858,  the  total  increase  in  ten  years 
equaled  fully  300  per  cent.  The  total  increase,  in  the  ten 
years,  consequently  equaled  57,250,000  tons — a  rate  equaling 
5,725,000  tons  annually.  A  very  similar  rate  of  increase 
was  maintained  from  1850  to  1858,  a  period  of  eight  years. 
The  total  net  tonnage  for  1850  equaled  about  5,000,000  tons. 
A  rate  of  increase  upon  this  amount  similar  to  that  showru 
from  1858  to  1867  would  give  very  nearly  the  (quantity 
estimated  for  1858. 

The  following  table  of  the  results  of  the  operations  of  the 
Railroads  of  New  York  for  the  past  ten  yeare  will  show  that 
the  increased  tonnage  of  the  roads  has  been  accompanied 
with  a  corres2)onding  service  performed.  The  number  of 
tons  carried  one  mile,  in  1858,  was  420,604,609 ;  in  1867, 
1,192,818,673  tons;  the  rate  of  increase  being  nearly  200' 
per  cent.  The  earnings  of  the  road  increased,  in  simiUu. 
ratio: 


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IN       <N       (N       N       m'      fff      5^-      m"      ho"      irf 


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As  is  sliown  in 


20 


the  preceding  statements,  tlie  tonnage  o( 


tlio  Now  Yovlv  canals  is  reiinired  by  the  LegisUiturc  to  bo 


tUissified  uu<hM-  seven  geuer 


id  lieads,  vi/.  :  "  Trodncts  of  the 


Forests,"  "  Products  of  Animals,"  -  Vegetable  Food."  "  Other 
Agricultnral   Products,"    -Manufactures,"    -Mei-chan.bze," 
and      Other  Articles."     The  xalue  of  all  tlie  articles  com- 
prising these  classes  is  given  in  <h^tail.     Tlie  avM-age  value 
eciualed  $4U  21  per  ton.     'We  railroad   com  panics    of  the 
State  arc  required  to  return  their  tonnage  under  the  same 
classifications,  but  are  not  re.piire<l  to  return  the  value  of  the 
same.     If  a  valuation   be  put  upon  this  tonnage  similar  to 
the  ascertained  value  of  the  canal  tonnage,  the  average  value 
of  the  i-ailroad  tonnage  e<p.aled  $180  63  per  ton.     The  wide 
difference  in  the  aggregate  is  owing  to  the  flict  that  the  ton- 
nage of  the  canals  is  composed  (;f  cheap  and  b.dky  articles, 
in  the  transportation  of  which  speed  is  of  little  account.    For 
example,  the  tonnage  for  isGT  of  animal  IIkmI  on  the  canals 
equaled  only  1(>.(5U  tons,   liaving  a  value  of  $5,07:.,202  ; 
while  the   '-Animal  Food"  borne  on  the  railroads  equaled 
l,21)0,81o  tons,  having  a  valu(>  of  $-i40.1)lG,o88.     The  canal 
tonnage   of   "'Other  Agricultural    Products,"    consisting  of 
butter^  cheese,  etc.,  equaled  only  0,01<>  tons,  having  a  value 
of  $1,269,9<)2.     The  same  kind  of  railroad  tonnage  cipialed 
m7,l)ii-i  tons,  having  a  value  of  $130.-14().021.     Tho  nun.ber 
of  tons  of  the  '•  Products. .f  the  Forest"  carried  on  the  canals 
equaled  1,232,1)08  t(ms,  having  a  value  of  $ll,107,i)09.     The 
tomiage  of  simihir  articles  carried  on   the   railroads  equaled 
:iO;i230  tons,  having  a.  value  of  $2,2U-1,52(>.     The  total  value 


27 


of  tlie  6,688,325  tons  carried  on  tl^e  canals  equaled  $278,- 
050,712.  At  a  similar  valuation,  the  value  of  the  10,8-i8,G81 
tons  home  upon  the  railroads  e(|ual  $1,444,373,495. 

Applying  a  similar  estimate  of  value,  andAvhich  cannot  be 
regarded  as  excessive,  to  the  tonnage  of  all  the  i-oads  of  the 
Knited  States,  tlie  aggregate  value  for  18()7  of  such  tonnage 
— 75,000,000  tons— equtded  the  enormous  snm  of  $10,472,- 
250,000— a  sum  exceeding  live  times  the  total  amount  of  the 
national  debt!  Tlie  total  increase  in  vakie  of  this  tonnage 
since  1857  has  equaled  $7,854,187,500,  a  rate  of  increase 
(M(ual  to  $785,418,750  annually.  Such  annual  increase 
e<|uals  nearly  one-tliird  of  the  national  debt;  is  nearly  six 
times  greater  than  the  accruing  interest  on  the  same,  or  twice 
greater  than  the  total  aggregate  of  the  })ublic  expenditures. 

Potent  as  is  the  Uailway.  wherever  constructed,  in  the  cre- 
ation of  wealth,  and  in  stimulating  industry  and  commerce, 
its  most  remarkable  achievements  are  to  be  found  in  tlie 
Xorth- Western  Sttitcs,  where,  of  all  other  parts  of  the  world, 
agriculture,  from  the  fertility  of  the  soil  and  the  ease  with 
which  it  can  1)e  brought  under  cultivation,  reaps  the  largest 
returns. 

Tlie  subjoined  statement  will  show  the  progress  of'liail- 
ways  in  the  eight  North-Western  States  since  1850,  with  that 
of  their  tonnage,  and  the  value  of  the  same,  together  with 
their  popidation  in  1«50  and  in  18GU,  and  th.e  valuation  of 
the  same,  copied  from  oflicial  returns  (l)r  the  years  named  : 


28 


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29 


The  statement  last  given  shows  that  the  mileage  of  the 
railroads  in  these  States  increased  from  1,276  miles  in  1850 
to  11,064  in   1860,  and  to  14,177  miles  in  1867;  that  the 
tonnage  of  these  roads  increased,  in  the  same  time,  from 
388,800   tons   in  LSoO   to   6,638,400  tons  in  1860  and  to 
21,265,500  in  1867.     The  value  of  the  railroad  tonnage  in 
1850  was  $57,420,000;  in  1860,  $995,700,000;  and  in  1867, 
$3,189,325,000!     The  valuation,  of  the  23roperty  in  these 
States  increased  from  $1,126,709,647  in  1850  to  $3,926,276,- 
793  in  1860.     Of  the  total  tonnage  in  1867  of  all  the  roads 
of  these  States  more  than  one-third  of  it  was  transj^orted 
upon  eight  great  roads  entering  Chicago,  as  \vill  be  seen  by 
the  following  statement: 

XT  c  T.     1  Tons  of  Morchfin- 

KameofRoad.  dizo  cairicl. 

Pittsburg,  Fort  Wayne  and  Chicago 1 154  351 

Micliigai.  Central '6:J3!586 

Mithigan  Southern 735  433 

Illinois centrni ::::::::::  i,3ou;835 

Chicago  and  Alton 7r,(j  y^^ 

Chicago,  Burlington  and  Quincy 97l'378 

Chicago  and  Rock  Island ,"  6U8V14 

Chicago  and  North-Westeru ,,,[  1,9H;;>'427 

Totaltons 8,227,581 

All  these  immense  results  have  been  accomplished  by  the 
enterprise  of  our  people,  and  without  pecuniary  aid  from  the 
Federal  Government,  except  in  the  construction  of  the  Pa- 
cific Railway  and  its  branches.  The  Government,  however, 
has  made,  from  time  to  time,  liberal  grants  of  1.  id,  wdiich 
have  been  instrumental  in  the  construction  of  several  thou- 
sand miles  of  line.  The  grants  first  made,  and  which  served 
as  a  precedent  for  all  others,  were  to  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad,  in  1850.     They  led  to  the  immediate  construction 


80 


of  that  important  work,  and  gave  a  great  impulse  to  the  con- 
struction of  other  important  hues  within  it.  Grants  still 
more  liberal  were  made  to  the  States  of  Michigan,  Wiscon- 
sin, Iowa,  ]\[innesota  and  Missouri.  Without  them  hardly  a 
mile  of  Railroad  would  have  been  constructed  either  in  Iowa 
or  Minnesota.  But  for  them  the  Pacific  Eailroad  itself 
would  have  been  wholly  without  an  Eastern  outlet.  They 
have  been  instrumental  in  securing  construction  of  the 
great  Continental  Lino  earlier,  by  years,  than  it  otherwise 
would  have  been,  They  have  been  the  direct  means  of  add- 
ing hundreds  of  millions,  annually,  to  the  wealth  and  com- 
merce of  the  country.  As  the  lands  reserved  upon  the  lines 
of  the  anticipated  roads,  and  corresponding  in  amount  to  the 
grants  made,  readily  sold  at  'double  the  ordinary  rate,  the 
Government  reaped  a  positive  advantage  from  tliem,  in  ad- 
dition to  those  which  the  roads  themselves  have  secured 
to  it. 

The  progress  of  such  a  State  as  Illinois,  for  example,  due  to 
its  Railroads,  affords  a  striking  illustration  of  the  importance 
of  these  works,  considered  in  reference  to  the  public  revenues. 
The  value  of  their  tonnage  in  1867  equaled  $725,400,000. 
The  increase  of  its  value  since  1860  has  been  at  the  rate  of 
$70,000,000  animally.  The  present  annual  increase  equals 
$100,000,000.  The  increase  of  numbers,  due  to  the  same 
influence,  equals  100,000  annually.  The  Federal  taxes  of 
all  kinds  equal  $10  per  head  of  our  whole  population.  The 
population  of  Illinois  at  the  present  time  equals  2,500,000, 
or    one-fifteenth    of    the    whole.      It    pays,    consequently, 


81 

$25,000,000  aniniallj  into  tlie  public  treasury.     The  annual 
increase  in  tiie  amount  ol'  such  taxes  paid  by  tliis  State 
equals  $1,000,000,  or  would  equal  this  sum  provided  the 
l)resent  i-ates  were  maintained.     Its  ability  to  pay  so  vast  a 
sum  is  derived  almost  wholly  Irom  its  public  works.     In 
1850  its  population  was   only  8:>1,000,  or  one-thirtieth  oi" 
the  whole.     The  proportion  of  its  wealthy  to  the  total  aggre- 
gate was  in  much  smaller  ratio.     Could  any  policy,  there- 
fore, liave  been  wiser  than  the  grant  of  public  lands  to  the 
great  line,  which  opened  up  to  settlement  a  large  portion  of 
its  territory,  till  then  inaccessible,  and  stimulated,  in  a  pow- 
erful manner,  the  construction  of  other  important  lines?     If 
the  whole  cost  of  this  work  had  been  a  gratuity,  the  Fed- 
eral Government  would  have  .been  vastly  tlie  gainer  there- 
by,    a^he  interest  on  its  cost  is,  say,  $2,000,000.     It  has, 
however,  been  instrumental  in  adding,  amuudly,  more  than 
live-ibid   that   sum   to   the   public   revenues,  to   say  noth- 
ing of  its  influence  upon   the  trade  and  commerce  of  the 
country. 

If  such  be  the  iact,  is  it  not  wise  to  continue  a  similar 
policj',  adapted,  as  to  the  form  of  aid,  to  the  conditions  pre- 
sented, so  that  the  example  of  Illinois  may  be  repeated,  as 
you  remark,  upon  a  still  grander  scale,  upon  other  portions 
of  our  wide  domain  ?  To  the  west  and  north-west  of  Lake 
Superior  is  a  region  exceeding  Illinois  live  times  in  extent. 
Many  portions  of  it  equal  that  State  in  fertility  of  soil ;  and 
if  possessing  an  equal  population  would  equal  it  in  the 
value  of  its  products.     It  is  a  vast  prairie,  of  which  this 


32 

State  embraces  only  a  mere  fraction,  1,200  miles  in  extent 
east  and  west,  with  a  length  north  and  sontli  of  near- 
ly 2,000  miles  (a  considerable  ])ortion  of  it  lying  within  the 
British  Possessions),  and  having  an  aren  of  nearly  2,000,000 
square  miles.  It  is  watered  by  the  nioi-c  western  of  the  great 
lakes,  the  Mississippi  and  its  tributaries,  the  Saskatchawan, 
and  other  great  rivers  lying  still  further  to  the  north,  and 
differs  little  from  those  portions  of  it  occupied  by  the  Shates 
of  Illinois,  Iowa  and  Minnesota,  except  in  geographic  posi- 
tion. It  is  similar  in  soil,  minerals  and  flora,  and  to  a  great 
degree  in  climatic  con.litions.  It  has  its  greatest  width  of 
arable  land  upon  the  route  of  the  proposed  road.  It  has  a 
rich  and  friable  soil,  mostly  destitute  of  wood,  and  for  these 
reasons  can  be  brought  immediately  under  cultivation,  and 
yields,  under  the  rudest  culture,  the  most  bounteous  returns. 
Hence  the  marvelous  rapidity  with  which  our  people  have 
spread  themselves  ovev  the  accessil)le  portions  of  it,  and  tlie 
progress  they  liave  made  in  population  and  in  wealth. 

The  more  marked  points  of  difference  between  tliat  por- 
tion of  the  great  plain  lying  east  of  the  mountains  to  be 
traversed  by  the  proposed  road,  and  that  occupied  by  the 
Western  States,  is  the  lack,  in  the  former,  of  means  of  access 
by  water-courses  adapted  to  the  wants  both  of  travel  and 
commerce.  The  lakes,  with  the  Mississippi  and  its  numer- 
ous tributaries,  gave  ample  meims  of  such  access  to  exten- 
sive portions  of  all  the  Western  States,  and  a  foothold  tc 
the  early  settlers,  from  which  they  could  push  further 
inland,  and  a  market  for  their  p    —  ..     The  only  naviga- 


88 

'"o  rivor.  of  tl.o  .section  ,„„,,„.  con«iclo,,Uio„  a,,  tl.e  M.. 
-.     ,oyoUowSto„,a..,,oR«n.™.,.ra,e-N„,,^^^ 

become  a  ,„o..t  v.,,,,,,,,,,.  „„.,„„,,  ,.,   .,,.,,,  „  ^^.^,_, 

^"""''™«-'''"''^''"=''W«-^'---„,,,VH,o„.S,ono 

--ctuu,  ,K,.»,o„.  a,„,  .,„ sivo  navigation  ,„  sa,n,ne,.,. 

to-  total  ,ntcn.u,,tio„,n„., nan, ,,.  ,„,,,,    ^„; 

;'"'-\;"'"''"" '—'"■-«.  or  .onnne.:/.*^: 

-g.on  they  trave,«e,  embraein,,  an  a,va  of  .o.ne  2o0  000 

sqnare  miles.     Tia>  cost  I,,- ,.;,         ,• . 

"^''  ''3  "^  «'■■  "I  tran«,>orting  a  barrel  of 

flom  from  tl,e  monti,   of  tl,e  VVIIou-.Stono  to  St  Louis  a 
.«  ,000  nn-,e...  f  n.  e..eec.  ..  ™,.  ^ 
place.      ri,o  r,ver  i..  nou-  n.seU  a.  a  nratter  of  neecsity  for 
.0  t.™.^„rtation  of  Uovernment  .snppHes,   of  „,„.,,,,, 

'r  •  '"'"■'"■  "'"'  ''"  "'---  -'■^1^.  >^ut  e^en  for 

'""  'T*'  ""'  "  ''""'™"  "'»"  ''-^  '-'"-.  ''  -II  be  en. 

t'J-ely  disused. 

The  on,,  .a,  n.  which  thi.s  ..t  region  can  be  reached 
and  occ„p,ed  ,s  b,a  railwav,  which  shal,  bear  the  same  rela- 
-n  to  ,t  that  n„.„.«.  watcr-eounses  did  to  Michigan,  IHinoi,, 
nd  W,sco„,n,,  and  other  Western  State.     A  highway  mu.st 
..11  cases  be  provided,  m  advance,  l.r  the  pioneer,  to  serve 
bo     as  a  means  of  acccs  and  as  a  marlcet  for  his  product. 
If    he  Western  St,ates  had  no.  been  accessible  by  natural 
routes  of  comn^crce  and  travel,  their  settlement,  to  any  eon- 
s,deral  e  extent,  would  necessarily  have  remained  iu  abey- 
ance  tdl  a.tiflcial  ones  had  been  constructed.     Such  settlers 


84 


as  mi-U  havo  (ovcoA  tl.cir  wiiy  i.ibna  would  have  pos- 
aes.oa  neither  we.Ult  nor  eonrn.eree.      WUero  BueU  eondi- 
U„ns  exist,  tlie  oversight  of  Nature  nrn.tbe  correeted  by  the 
han,l  ..r  n>an.     An  a,lilieial  highway,  vastly  superior  to  any 
natural  one,  nu.st  l,n  opened  by  tl,e  eoUeetive  strength  of 
the  nation,  through  the  great  region  described.     The  tale  ol 
population  will  follow  fas.  dtor  it.     I'.y  the  time  the  mouu- 
tains  were  reaehed  frou>  the  lakes,  two  or  three  eonnnun.t.es, 
carved  out  of  the  territory  traversed,  would  have  all  the  eon- 
ditlons  atting  them  to  become  States   of  the    IJnion-for 
population,  cptally  with  wealth,  are  the  creation  of  works 
that  give   employment   and   supply  the    means  ot   subs.s- 
k-ncc.      Foreigners  are   attracted   to    us  just  in   the   mtio 
as  such    emplovment    and    means    of  subsistence   can   be 
had      Were  this   n<,t   so,    the   wealth   of  the   country   m- 
ereases  in   ratio   that    labor   is   well    employed.      Kngland 
is  infmitely  richer  for   the   eonntless   number  of  colon.sts 
which  for  centuries,  almost,  she  has  poured  forth.     The  pro- 
ductive capacity  of  those  that  rcn.ain  behind  still  for  exceeds 
all  the  demand  that  can  be  made  upon  it.     Such  denrand 
now  chielly  comes  upon  the  colonics  she  has  fomided,  and 
which  now  contain  a  jjopulation  nearly  twice  greater  than 

her  own. 

New  England,  the  mother  of  the  North-West,  is  in  the 

same  way  made  rich  and  prosperous  upon  the  labor  of  her 

children,  upon  a  more  genial  soil.    The  power  of  production, 

the  world  over,  far  outruns  the  capacity  for  consuniption. 

Wealth  and  comfort,  cousaiuently,  increase  in  ratio  as  new 


35 

p.an. ; :, ; :  :^';--  -  -^  «^  o-e .. 

soil.  '  ''""""^"'  ^""'  -'""'«>™,  a  virgin 

imm,g,,,„t.s  froa,  i|„.  ,„j  ^r,,,.,,,      j^ 
"ur  progress  ,u„l  |,rosp.ntv  i-  .1,     ,  '"    °"  ''^ 

po.e.e.Ci::  ::::;:r"'r°'■^'----- 
•■l..''t  tlK.  Letter  el.s-     r  '  "'"""''"^  "^^^  "'«'" 

"  ''■'■""  "'   "'iinigrants  i,ro,i..ht  will,  fl,        • 
money,  $200  per  Ik-i,1      TI,  "'  "' 

p-.a%  c,:  .00  ;;i ,: ;:  ~^ 

-tr,e,.,ea,...,,.o,o;ooo    ;:;;r;'"*''" 

ticularlj  attraeti^•e  rc...io„  t„  ■       •  " "  J'"" 

Europe,  a  mcc  of  il  ""^'-'^^^^^^  irom  tlie  riortli  of 

■^"  >«neet,  .re  .,  ,      .  ,  '      ""''  °"'"'  »"''  "'>o,  iu 

"'      "'  '"o  ''  "lost  desirable  addition  f„ 

Sl'ould  the  Northern  Pacific  P.i,  "' '"'"'''"'™- 

^"^Pulso  will  be  o-iv-eu  to  t\u.  '       ■  '""'^^ ^^'^^^^'  ^  ^^^w 

-ell  the  tide  of  '"'^^'^•-^-"' -^  will  be]p  to 

tKle  of  population  whicli  will  follow  A  .   •     • 
train.     There  oon  lw>,      i     i  ^'^^^  ^^^  its 

Heie  can  be  no  doubt  that  by  the  i  imn  f^ 
work  reaches  tlio  m.        •  ^^'"^  Pi'oposed 

wonid.cCrnrr"-''^-- -0.000 

to    the    public    tro^    '  ''"°''  °''  '""''  ^  "^^cr 

'       "    t--ury    would    equal    |3,000,000    aunu- 


8d 


ally — a  sum  throo  timos  greater  than  the   intorest  on  the 
bonds   that  would    ))o   issued.      In   a    few  years  a  Him-    its 
completion  such  revenues  would  he  trehled  in  amount,  so 
rapid  would  i)e  the  iiillux  ol'  immigrants  and  llie  develupmeut 
of  the  resources  of  tluj  territory  traversed.     The  process  of 
aiding  this  work,  conseipicutly,  would  be  a  paying  one  to  the 
Government  from  the  start.     There  is  not  a  doubt  that  it 
lias  been  largely  tlie  gainer  by  the  advances  it  has  made  to 
the  Union  and  Central  Pacific  Ilailroads  and  their  branches. 
These  roads  have  been  instrumental  in  adding  hundreds  of 
thousands  to  the  population  of  the  States  of  Missouri,  Iowa, 
Kansas,  Nebraska,  California  and  Nevada,  in  all  of  which 
their   influence  has  been  most   powerfully   felt,  and   many 
millions  added  annually  to  the  public  revenue. 

The  coincidence  of  the  line  of  the  proposed  road  with  that 
of  the  great  depression  in  the  continent,   occupied  by  tlie 
St.    Lawrence,   the  Missouri  and  the  Columbia,    adds   iin 
mensely   to    its    importance.      This    depression    not    only 
indicates    the    proper   route    for  crossing    it,    but   secures 
the  most  flivorable   climatic   conditions,   and   the   greatest 
possible  extent  of  aral)le  lands.     Increase  of  elevation  is 
always  accompanied  by  a  diminished  temperature.     With 
an  ascent  of  300  feet  the  mercury  fdls  one  degree ;   Lake 
Superior  is  elevated  only  ()00  feet  above   the   sea.      The 
valley  of  the  Red  River  of  the  North  has  an   elevation 
of  about  900  feet  above  the  sea.      Lake  Winnipeg  about 
700  feet.     From  the  low  elevation  of  this  portion  of  the 
great  basin,  Indian  corn  is  successfully  grown  in  extensive 


87 

-.ions  of  it      WUo,.y.r  this  .„,,,„,  .,„  ,,„  „„,„,„  ,,,  ^,, 

'""":"""""' 8^ 1 -„l  ,™,,„„,„,.     Tl„.  di,n„tc  of  every 

pornon  o.Uk.  oonti,,™.  ,,,,,„,,,  ,.,elio,.„,c.  „,„,„,,„,•„„  „,3,' 

-.lK.t.,,,,,,,l,,..MI.s,,,,,,,„.,,e,.e,|,..ii,,,.oftl,c,..,,,.o.,l,.oad 
'"«  an  elevation  of  1,800  icv,  .,,,1  at  tlu.  l„.o  of  tl.o  ,„o,„u. 
-n,  where  it  has  a,t  .l,..,ti f  3.000  feet,  the  range  o, 

"  "'"■"■"""^'"'-  '^  '«"  '•-■  ^"  -y  portion  o.'  the  year 
,  '"  "  '"  "'"'"  "'«  ""■-'  I'l-"  lyin..'  intn>eaiately  west  of 
'""';':"'""■•     '''''«'"" l-'—ltheterritory'nponthe 

™.Ue  of  the  ,,ro„o..,l  li:.ih.oa,|  ,s  one  of  the  „„st  ren.arl.able 
•-"-s  of  the  eontinent     The  elevation  of  the  Missouri  at 

the  month  of  the  Yellow  .Slone  is  only  2,100  leet  above  the 
soa ;  that  of  the  Union  PaeiU.  Ji,H,,„„,  ,.,,„„  ,|,^  ^,^,^^^,  ^^ 

"'1-u  ,s  <i,000  li,,  above.     The  ,li,ferenee  in  elevation  .-ives 
to  eorre.spon,ling  portions  of  ,|„.  northern   route  a  muelt 
.nore  temperate  elin.ate  th.an  is  lonn.i  upon  the  .sonthen.one 
Ul«n   going  further  north   the  subsi,lenee  of  the  .reat 
phun  sfll  eoutinues,  with  a  eorrespon.liug  ntelioration  of 
|=l.mate.     It  is  prolnbly  ,„iMer  in  the  V^alley  of  the  Sas- 
katehawan  than  upon  eorrespon.liug  nrcridians  in  the  Val- 
lej  of  tlio  Alis-souri. 

Witlun   the   mountain    ranges   the   elintate   is  n.il,l  and 

«in^a.,e  mail  .seasons  of  the  year,  owing  to  its  proximity  to 
"'^  ^-'--      l^Po.^  tl.^>t  eoast  the  range  of  the  thermom'eter 

agrees,  as  is  well  Icnown,  very  nearlv  witl,   n    , 

,  >i-iy  nuiiiy  with  tliat  on  the  west- 
ern eoast  of  Kurope.  in  similar  parallels 

Of  tlte  whole  length  o.'  the   ^.orthern  Paei.ie  Railroad. 

■■720  mdes,  not  over  250  miles  will  have  .an  elevation  ex- 


88 


ceeding  3,000  feet  above  the  sea,  while  of  the  Union  Pacific 
Kaih'oad,  1,100  miles,  of  a  total  length  of  1,057  miles,  are 
more  than  4,000  feet  above  the  sea  ;  more  than  500  miles  of 
it  lias  an  elevation  of  7,500  feet  above  the  sea. 

The  relation  of  the  o-]-eat  water  line  of  the  St.  Lawrence  to 
tlie  proposed  work  will  vastly  inc^rease  its  utility  and  im- 
portance. This  line,  whether  its  eastern  outlet  be  the  liar- 
bor  of  New  York  or  the  Straits  of  Belle  Isle,  extends  half 
way  across  the  continent.  With  a  Railroad  from  its  western 
extremity  to  the  Pacific,  tlic  land  carriage  of  freight,  for  at 
least  eight  montlis  each  year,  will  not  exceed  1,750  miles. 
The  cheapest  of  all  modes  of  transportation  is  by  water, 
when  the  conditions  are  flxvorable.  Freight  will  be  trans- 
ported from  tlie  head  of  Lake  Superior,  by  water,  in  the 
season  of  navigation,  at  ono-third  the  cost  of  its  transporta- 
tion by  Railroad.  The  proposed  work,  consequently,  is 
the  complement  of  a  grand  liigliway  of  commerce  across  the 
continent,  more  than  one-half  of  which  is  navigable  ibr  ships 
of  1,000  tons  burden.  With  the  slight  elevation  of  the  whole 
route,  with  the  favorable  ii'rade  and  alii gnment  of  the  Rail- 
road,  and  with  a  water  line  for  more  than  half  the  distance 
.of  unequaled  excellence,  the  Nortliern  Pacific  Railway  must 
become  the  route  of  commerce  between  ocean  and  ocean. 
For  cheapness  of  transportation  it  must  be  without  a  rival. 
Its  advantages  will  be  sucli  as  will  enable  it  to  become  the 
route  to  America,  and  to  Europe  of  the  jn-oducts  of  the  FaihI^ 
and  secure  to  this  country,  beyond  question,  a  trade  which 
lias  enriched  every  people  through  which  it  has  passed,  and 


\ 
i 
t 
h 


"fl? 


39 

which,  i;.  the  future,  if  .e  will  on,,  tako  the  necessa^ 
steps,  will  be  monopolized  by  our  own. 

The  importance  of  the  rehutiou  th-it  To  ho  ^ 
.   .      ^    ^^  bullion  mat  Lake  Superior  sus- 

ta.n.  o   ,ete.-..i.„.,,vi„,,  to  the  west  a„.J  north-we.t  of  H, 

■;  -"  ."".^t-te,,  >.,  that  ..tained  ,,,  Lake  Michigan  tJ 

0  ten.,,,,  H,„,  ,„  ,,  „^^^  ^,^_^,  ^^^^^_^_^^^^^^^^     ^^,_^^^^  ^^__^     ^^ 

r  ,  °''"'''  ™*'-"-  "■"■'  ■■"'■-■'^'  "--"'^l.  must  ahvaya 

be  one  ot  the  chief  outlets  «.,..„eMe,.,.ito.,-.  Its  .aiuo  atK, 
"'  -nee,  „,  this  t-espeet,  ea,.  ha,,:,!,-  bo  estimated.  It  ha, 
added  ,„i„ious  of  inhabitants  to  the  ten-ito.,-  dependent  upon 

^,  an     i.und,.eds  of  „,i,no„s  to  the  vaKte  of  its  p,-odueta 
^  .    '"^    '""'     '"■    •■"■^"^'«    I-"'    i"    Mds   te,.,.ito,.v,    now 

-    neh    and    populous,    and   whose   tnuje    h.as    li^ed    the 
«-te.n  sho,.e  of  this   hd.e  .ith  doutishing  eitie.s,  one   of 
wl.ch  now  oecupies  the  tluM  rank  in  the  United  States  in 
populatun,    and   co,nnK.,.ce,  will    ben.  no   eon^paWson  with 
tl'at  «-|,,e„  n.ust  hav..  its  future  outlet  thtough  .Lake  Supe- 

'■'?;•    :^  '-■"■'*  ''■■""■"   '■'■"'"  Chieago  t>pon  a  ...lius  of  600 
»"les  „,elude.s  to  the  .e^t,  all  the  fertile  portio.t  of  the  .reat 
plan,;  while  west  and  uorth-west fron^ Lake Snp.-i.r  a  ^irele 
drawn  upon  a  radin.  of  tudce  sueh  e.xtent  would  not  e.eeed 
t-Innits  of  fertile  soil.     A  line  of  eonsiderabl,  ,e.ss  length 
t  .an  that  fnan  Chieag,,  to  the  Missouri  Kiv..-  would  eonuLt 
d.-etlv  Lake  AYnanpe,  with  Lake  Superior.     The  forn.er  is 
1.0  centre  of  a  lo-drographie  basin,  .eeond  on,,  in  e.xtent,.n 

fet-td.t,andintl,euUin.atevalueofitsproduets,tothatof 

1.0  Mississippi.     Lake  Superior  see.ns  to  have  l.een  pl.aeed 

by  the  hand  of  Providenee  in  the  eentre  of  the  eontinent  to 


40 


render  tliis  extensive  and  valuable,  but  now  distant  territorv, 
accessible  both  to  settlement  and  to  eonnnerco.  It  must  for 
all  time  command  the  connnerce  of  a  territorv  tlirice  lar^-er 
than  that  dependent  upon  Lake  Michigan,  and  though  por- 
tions of  it  are  now  embraced  witliin  the  British  possessions, 
its  commerce  must  wholly  pass  through  onr  territory  and  be 
monopolized  by  our  own  people  ;  and.  in  time,  to  commercial 
will  be  added  political  tiea 

In  two  or  three  years  more  tlie  n.-itional  revenues  re- 
sulting directly  fr.^m  these  works  will  far  exceed  the 
charges  upon  the  advances  made,  so  that  long  before  tlie 
principal  sum  falls  duo,  it  will  have  been  many  times  repaid. 
But  such  a  statement  hy  no  means  covei-s  the  whole  ground. 
The  construction  of  the  gi-cat  Continental  Line  has  been  the 
means  of  cariying,  we.stwaixl,  fully  300  miles,  the  interior  sys- 
tem of  railways,  and  of  adding,  ah'cady,  more  than  1,000 
miles  to  its  aggregate  of  coinpleted  line.  In  balancing  the 
account  tlie  increase  of  i-evenues  due  to  this  additional  mile- 
age, and  which  ])robably  far  exceeds  that  derived  from  the 
great  trunk  line  and  its  branches,  is  to  be  oOset  against 
the  advances  rnnde.  A  coiTcct  account  would  show  the 
Government  to  be  largely  the  debtor,  wliile  such  bidance 
must  continue  to  increase  in  much  greater  than  simple  ratio. 
The  additional  advantages  whicli  are  to  result  from  the 
opening  of  a  line  from  ocean  to  ocean  are  certain  to  tran- 
scend all  oi'dinaiy  calculation. 

It  is  objected,  that  no  additions  should  be  made  to  the 
public  debt  by  aiding  works  like  the  one  proposed.     It  is 


41 

"ow  in  vo.ae  to  deuo.mcc  all  snol,  propositions  as  s..indlo, 
-a.  frauds  upon  the  publio  trcasu.y.     The  slightest  consid- 
eration will  shou-  the  ridienlousncss  of  all  sneh  talk.     If  the 
Ka.L'oadsof  the  United  States  could  have  been  co,>st™cted 
""  ""  ''"""•  ™'''""«'-'  "  «""'1'1  Uave  been  the  soundest  poliev 
for  Gorernn.ent  to  have  assumed  their  construction,  even 
J.thout  the  expectation  of  realising  a  dollar  of  direct  income 
"•om  them.     The  actual  cost  of  these  works  have  been  about 
81,200,000,000.     The  interest  on  this  sum  is  $72,000,000. 
lliey  have  created  a  commerce  worth  810,000,000,000  an- 
•Hudly.     Such  a  commerce  has  enabled  the  people  to  pay 
.>400,000,000  into  the  public  treasury  with  far  greater  ease 
than  they  could  have  paid  $100,000,000  without  them     But 
for  them  it  would  have  been  impossible  for  the  people  to 
l^ave  maintained  the  war  against  tl>c  rebellion,  or  sustained 
tl.o  .inancial   burdens  which   it  in.poscd,   but  which  have 
been  borne  ^ritl,  such  con.parative  ease.     No  line  of  ordi- 
nary nn,.,ortance  was  ever  instructed  that  did  not,  from  the 
«'«'lfh  ,t  ereate.1,  .spcedUy  repay  its  cost,  although  it  n.ay 
"ever  have  returned  a  dollar  to  its  share  or  bondholders      If" 
tl..«  he  true  of  local  and  uninrportaut  works,  how  nrueh  niore 
■so  n.ust  ,t  be  of  great  lines,  which  will  open  vast  sections  of 
",'"■ ''"'"'"  '^°"'"''"'  "o^^  ••'  J^^^rt,  but  abounding  in  all  the 
elements  of  wealth.     No  one  pretends  that  the  aid  asked 
'"'•  -"•"  "ot  buiW  rhe  road.     If  so.  Government  wrll  ult.- 
niatcly  be  repaid  ten-fold  all  its  advances, 

While,  f,n.n:ae\y,  there  are  but  few  cases  which  would 
J-tdy    the   Governnxent   in    extending    aid    to    Railroads 


42 


there  are  some  in  whicb.  its  interposition  becomes  its  highest 
duty.  ISTo  act  could  be  so  j^romotive  of  the  general  welfare 
as  the  opening,  by  its  aid,  both  to  the  Northern  and  South- 
ern routes.  Upon  the  latter  is  an  immense  extent  of  terri- 
tory, full  of  natural  wealth,  but  which,  without  a  Eailroad, 
is  utterly  beyond  the  reach  of  settlement  or  commerce.  Aid 
extended  to  both  lines,  instead  of  weakening  the  public 
credit,  would  greatly  strengthen  it.  The  method  or  source 
of  the  present  financial  strength  and  prosperity  of  the 
country  is  getting  to  be  well  understood.  Oar  means  will 
increase  just  in  the  degree  in  which  we  render  available  the 
wealth  that  now  lies  dormant  in  our  soil.  It  would  be  felt 
that  a  reasonable  amount  of  aid  to  each  of  these  enterprises 
would  diminish  rather  than  increase  the  public  burdens. 
Government  would  always  be  in  advance  instead  of  beino; 
out  of  pocket  on  account  of  such  aid. 

I  have  not  dwelt  upon  the  \'alue  of  the  territory  within 
and  west  of  the  mountain  ranges,  although  it  is  probable 
that  this  portion  of  the  line  will  be  the  most  valuable  and 
productive.  All  this  region  is  Icnown  to  possess  great  agri- 
cultural capabilities,  and  to  be  rich  in  all  the  more  valuable 
minerals.  Its  great  water-courses  would  prove  valuable 
auxiliaries  to  tlie  road,  as  well  as  greatly  ficilitate  its  con- 
struction. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be, 

Very  respectfully, 

HENRY  \^.  POOR 


